Madame

Chapter 9

Karina's POV

I walk through the third floor, peeking around every corner. "Come out come out wherever you are!" I holler through the seemingly empty rooms as I clear them one by one.

I get to the playroom where toys and stuffed animals are piled high in an organized way. "C'mon Lili, give me a hint, you've hidden yourself too well!" I call out to the little girl, whose little hand I can see from behind a closet door.

I tiptoe towards her and I see her head start to poke out of the closet and I quickly jump to put myself against the wall, sucking in every ounce of my being so that she doesn't see me. Her round face quickly retreats back into the closet and her little hand goes with it. I listen for a few seconds as she tries to go deeper into the closet, shifting boxes. I take this as my time to slowly open the closet door so as to not let in any light, I see her back facing me and I take the opportunity.

I tap her shoulder, "Found you!" She squeals and jumps away from me, her eyes wide but they quickly turn downwards as a smile spreads across her face, "How long was that?" She asked, basically skipping out of the playroom. I pretend to think, placing my hand on my chin, "I think it was an hour, you hid so well." I clap my hands together and she gives me a big smile

We walk out of the playroom and down the hall, passing Elizabeth's bedroom, her door slightly open and I let my eyes linger on the small opening, waiting to see her but I don't. We haven't spoken since the headbutting we had two weeks ago. She would sit at the other end of the table with her strategists, including Reagen, trying to make a foolproof plan to catch Andrew. My uncle has had no contact with me for quite some time now, only my maman calls me, begging me to go whip some sense into Grey who apparently snuck out of the house the other night.

My uncle did call Elizabeth though, the maids have been gossiping about it and I couldn't miss the sounds of Florence being obliterated these past few weeks, everyone has come to realize she's Elizabeth's stress reliever. They've moved to Elizabeth's bedroom so there is no saying what they've been up to, but it sounds like Florence is enjoying it. She's super skittish around Dev and I, avoiding all eye contact with us, we can't help but laugh sometimes.

"Now, c'est a toi de te cacher." Lili says, bringing me back to the present. I nod my head, "Alright, no peeking, go count over there facing the wall." I instruct and she happily skips to the wall and places her hands over her eyes, squatting down to the floor. "1...2...3...4...5," She starts and I silently walk past her and down the hall to where the bedrooms and offices are. I slip into my room, sliding underneath my bed and covering the sides with my suitcase and some boxes.

I can hear her faint voice still counting, and then the trembling of the floor makes my heart skip a beat as she darts into rooms, feet pounding on the wood. I hear cabinets, doors, and other things being swung open and closed with no grace. I stifle a laugh when I hear her ask a passing maid where I was.

I hear her come to my door and it swings open and is closed quietly. I put my head down on the ground and slowed my breathing, making sure not to make a noise. She starts to walk in front of my bed and I look up slightly to see a pair of loafers...maid loafers. I put my ear to the ground and can feel the vibrations of Lili's feet somewhere down the hall.

I contemplate slipping out from under my bed and catching the maid off guard but I can smell Elizabeth's musky perfume, no doubt it's Florence. She moves around my room, treading lightly so as to not make a sound. She doesn't touch anything from what I can hear and see, until she goes into my bathroom. The distinct sound of the wood cabinet being pulled open makes me close my fist. The knife that was on my bed the day I killed Mr. Ali is in that cabinet in the bathroom.